Lauren & Cam’s Wedding in Myrtleford

July 6, 2017

When I think back to the morning of the wedding, I got up super early, around 4:15am. I was sharing a room with my youngest brother Mitchell, which is something we hadn’t done in years. It was quite nostalgic when we were going to sleep the night before, just talking about ‘stuff’. It made me realise that shit was about to get very real. I didn’t really sleep much, I was excited, nervous, and kept checking the weather radar on the hour, praying for the rain to stop! It had rained non-stop in Bright for 3 days.
Cam and his family were staying in the house right next door to where my family and I were staying, and all I wanted to do was go and wake him up. I wanted him to be the first person I saw that day, to tell him how much I love him and no matter what happens, it was just him and I. But I held back, I knew he would feel the same but wouldn’t want any of the anticipation of the day be lost too early.

It was raining, and raining quite heavily, all morning. When the girls arrived to get ready I had kind of forgotten about it, until Liz rang to let me know she wasn’t far away, and that we should get some umbrellas. Of course, I hadn’t even given that a thought but my brother Thomas saved the day and went out to purchase 6 black umbrellas. Cams best man Brett did as well. Liz was so excited about the weather, “Oh Lauren, all the colour and light!!” she said, which really relaxed me. No one ever dreams of a wet wedding, but in our case, it made a beautiful difference and really set a beautiful tone during our ‘first look’ and bridal party photos. Liz was right about all of the colours too.
I am so glad that we had a first look photo shoot. I had no idea that I would feel as nervous as I did, but at the same time, it was relaxing, natural and really the perfect way for us to spend some time together before the formalities.
Walking through the entrance to the train station museum in Bright, felt surreal. We had the whole place to ourselves, and even though I couldn’t see Cam at first, I knew he was there, making his way through the carriages onto the platform. There was definitely a tear in each of our eyes when we saw each other, and an air of pride, as if we both thought, ‘wow, there is my wife/husband!’ For someone who puts up such a confident front, he really is a softie. Maybe that’s something I’ve done over the years. He was so excited about being at the train station too, surrounded by his other loves, history and old trains. Brett even managed to get some gel in Cams hair, which was a miracle as he hates hair product! If we hadn’t have seen each other until the ceremony, the nerves would have killed me. Liz was amazing with setting up ‘our moment’ of the day. Her presence is very calming.

The drive up to Gapsted with my father was probably one of my favourite parts of the day. He was able to let a bit of emotion out, which I saw but he tried to hold back. He held my hand in his last big drive as father of the bride, which I will never ever forget. I’d been dreaming of that drive for a very long time. As we pulled up to the winery, the sun tore through the clouds and the rain had gone. Grandy had been a bit slack with the weather over the previous 3 days, but the old girl did not disappoint from that moment on. An amazing backdrop for a ceremony full of giggles, love and a very badly behaved veil, followed by a perfect sunset over the vines. Our ceremony felt like a moment in time, and I took so many snap shots in my mind of Cam standing with me and our family and friends watching on. It was the most important part of the day, and the vows we wrote and shared together were the highlight.
We had the party of our lives at the reception. Filled with love, dancing, wine, cheese and so much happiness. Some are rating our speeches as the best they’ve ever heard, in particular my grandfather Leon who shared a moving letter from my late grandmother, ‘Grandy’. Most guests are still raving about the band, The Whisky Gypsies, after kicking their heels up and enjoying some of the best bloody folk music you will ever hear. We wanted our ceremony to be all about us and our commitment to each other, but the reception to be about our most cherished family and friends.

When I was a little girl, I would ask my mum, ‘can I draw you a picture?’ and she would say, ‘draw me a wedding!’ Back then it was all about the party and the dress. I didn’t know then, what the meaning of commitment and love was until I was older and able to understand the bond shared between my parents. Forever strong. I never knew I would experience such warmth and security in my life, until Cam came along.
It was during some of my loneliest times that he wandered into my life. Even though we had previously met through mutual friends, he never stood out to me. I hadn’t seen back then, that he was everything I needed in those first moments of our friendship, until I realised he was everything I’ve needed ever since. Within a few days, he was my best friend, within a few months we were a couple and before we knew it, we were living under the same roof, planning our future, travelling the world together and creating a home over countless bottles of red wine. I am so glad we took that chance on something that kind of surprised us both.

I love that he is genuine, real, and calls a spade a spade. He challenges, yet protects me and for that I am his biggest fan. And I know I’m not perfect but who is? He sees straight through my insecurities and reassures me that it will all be ok. Now we are married, it’s not a new feeling, merely a deeper extension of what we already had. We still get up and go to work, we still do our own thing. But at the end of the day, when all is quiet, we can be sitting on the couch and just ‘be’. The older we get, the more we realise that to have someone to just ‘be’ with, is the best feeling in the world. And I get to do that with Cam for the rest of my life.

I cannot thank Liz enough for her hard work, beautiful images and of course, her amazing nature and calmness. She’s one in a million and worked so hard for us all day. Thank you Liz xx